Families affected by substance abuse disorder may find a family therapy program to be particularly beneficial. The entire family is impacted by addiction, and some family members may adopt particular roles (enabler, overachiever) as a coping mechanism.
Family counseling can help mend strained bonds and give members of the family constructive coping mechanisms. According to research, family therapy is a more effective component of behavioral health treatment than treatment without it. When used in conjunction with individual therapy, it can lower the risk of relapse, promote medication adherence, and improve communication.
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What Is Family Therapy?
In order to address the interrelated structure of the family unit and modify these intricate relationship patterns to support long-term recovery, family therapy focuses on family-level assessment. In this therapy, the whole family receives treatment rather than a single person. This typically involves the newly sober person, any family members who want to participate, and a family therapist who can help them navigate the process.
Family therapy comes in a variety of modalities. Some methods of family therapy call for everyone to be present, while others have therapists work one-on-one with each family member before bringing everyone together. Different family therapies include:
- Structural Family Therapy
- Solution-Focused Family Therapy
- Strategic Family Therapy
- Narrative therapy
- Transgenerational therapy
- Milan therapy
Addiction Is A Family Problem
Addiction is a family disease. Not just those who suffer with addiction experience the effects. Active addiction has far-reaching impacts that go beyond the individual who uses drugs. The immediate family is also harmed when a loved one struggles with drugs or alcohol abuse. Addiction affects everyone who loves the addict, whether they are a child, parent, or spouse.
Families with addicted relatives frequently experience a number of common problems. They include the following:
- Trust Issues
- Abuse
- Financial problems
- Explosive Behavior
- Increased Stress
Family Engagement And Family Dynamics
No family is equipped to handle the addiction of a loved one. Families that are distressed, perplexed, and desperate may unintentionally hinder the addict’s recovery or even unintentionally encourage that family member’s addiction. Family members must be aware of their potential roles within the family in order to support the recovery of a loved one who is struggling with addiction. Supportive family members might become more conscious of how they might unwittingly be supporting or enabling their loved one’s disease by joining support groups like Al-Anon.
Reframing The Family Unit
One of our best resources for both physical safety and emotional comfort might be our families. Family surroundings, however, can also encourage negative feelings and actions, such as drug and alcohol addiction. The genetic bonds that bind blood relatives so closely can also harbor the seeds of obsessive or addictive behaviors, and children’s observations of their parents’ self-harming behaviors can develop into habits that have an impact on their own lives as they get older. Relational reframing is a technique used by family therapists to shift the focus from individual blame to comprehension and problem-solving. This aspect of family therapy gets rid of erroneous explanations and attributions for particular family member behaviors. Family relationships frequently need to be reframed in order for family members to be more transparent.
The Benefits Of Family Therapy
As the American Society of Addiction Medicine notes, knowledge about addiction and methods of treatment are always changing. Today, it is regarded as a curable condition involving intricate connections between genetics, life experiences, neuro pathways, and other factors. The way a family functions before and after a member develops a substance use disorder can directly affect addiction and treatment.
The many forms of family therapy make an effort to comprehend and pinpoint how a specific family or relationship structure influences addiction. Therapists working with families have a number of objectives, including:
- Address additional issues that contribute to the family’s imbalance or discomfort.
- Recognize and encourage the family’s communication mechanism.
- Relapse prevention
- Determine the power structures that need to be changed for a more fair allocation of power.
- Enhancing the bonds within the family system.
- Problem-solving/Resolving family conflicts
How We Can Help You
In the treatment of any mental health disorder, including substance abuse, the family is crucial. Know that with the assistance of qualified therapists and medical health specialists, it is never too late to mend damaged family relationships. To learn how you can change your family dynamics and roles to support a loved one’s long-term recovery, contact Ethan Crossing today.